Gua Sha and the ancient art of… scraping!

Gua Sha and the ancient art of… scraping!

Gua Sha and the ancient art of… scraping!

It blows my mind how much we have on offer from the wisdom of ancient healers. There is a great deal available to us from practices that have persisted through the ages – for good reason – they work!
Scraping isn’t the sexiest word in the English language, but in Chinese language it’s called Gua Sha – pronounced Gwaashaa. The tools used have ranged from bones, to boards, to jade and now polished natural crystals like quartz are a beautiful and natural addition*. It’s an important part of Chinese medicine with a rich history of studied healers behind it. You can read more about the cultural significance of Gua Sha in Traditional Chinese Medicine here. These practices have been around long before there were written languages or records.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, qi, (or chi) is the energy which flows through our bodies and Gua Sha is used to stimulate this energy by increasing microcirculation in the soft tissues. It’s been used to treat so many things, including inflammation of the liver, headaches, breast engorgement in breastfeeding women, neck pain, perimenopause, tennis elbow, poor circulation, scar tissue, and a bunch more. See WebMD for more information.

It is believed there are also additional benefits when we take a portion of any self-care healing processes into our own hands, alongside any external help we may be receiving from practitioners and medical professionals, by also by administering part of our regime ourselves, we are involved directly in our own care package, so it makes sense that this rounded approach heightens the results all round.  Self-care includes hygiene, nutrition, and seeking medical care when needed. It’s all the steps we can take to manage stress and take care of our own health and well-being.
For the face, I love Gua Sha for releasing tension, especially around the jaw, and puffiness around the eyes, and just generally brightening skin. Used in conjunction with oils, Gua Sha can make a big difference to how your skin looks and feels.

Gua Sha has become a ‘thing’ on social media relatively recently, and more of us have heard about it in the Western world.  Last year Lips N Berries released a YouTube vid using my Golden Dew Drops and facial massage tool made with gorgeous rose quartz which has had over 110,000 hits. I’m honestly so happy that I was one of the first to bring Gua Sha practice to light in NZ in the natural skincare and self-care space, I had a hunch it would be a self-care ritual that we NZ gals would take to. It’s so doable, and the results are lovely, it truly makes you look and feel so good. I’ve got my beautiful Gua Sha rose quartz crystal available here* it’s – a beauty.

There are a few dos and don’ts, like anything, and Gua Sha practice on the other parts of the body might involve a little more pressure and different technique, but using the right angle, the right soothing product and the right motion and pressure, it’s a beautiful experience for your sense of peace and more obviously – your face! If you haven’t tried it yet here are a few great vids to give you some inspo…
Here my products are being used by Nishu from Lips N Berries.

Also Gothamista has a mesmerising routine here.

Taking a moment to literally care for a part of yourself is empowering. We can have more control over our own well-being – by contributing to our own physical and health needs alongside those from practitioners. In combination, these things work together well, and this is a small ritual we can do for ourselves with immediate, nourishing and beautiful results.
Hmmm. Do something easy peasy for yourself – you’ll have your Gua Sha crystal for life, but make sure you keep it hidden somewhere just for you, so the kids don’t find it!

Hayley xoxo.